Argentina (B), Bolivia (B), Brazil (B), Colombia (B), French Guiana (B), Guyana (B), Paraguay (B), Peru (B), Suriname (B), Uruguay (B).
Southern Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, and northern Brazil (southern Roraima east to Amapá and, south of R Amazon, Amazonas east to northern Pará) south to eastern Peru (Loreto south to Madre de Dios) and northern Bolivia (La Paz and Beni).
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Epaulet Oriole (Icterus cayanensis) [XC519091]
by Gerlando Delgado from PNN Chiribiquete, cu\u00f1ar\u00e9, Colombia (?)
Epaulet Oriole (Icterus cayanensis) [XC275169]
by Phil Stouffer from Orellana: 'Maxus' road km 37 (27 km SSE Pompeya), Ecuador (call)
Subspecies
Closely related to Moriche Oriole (Icterus chrysocephalus), and often treated as conspecific. Mitochondrial DNA data reveal small divergence (0·6%) between the two, and intermediate or hybrid individuals reported mostly from Suriname, but no known hybridization in areas of range overlap in Guyana and Brazil, nor in Sipaliwini area of central Suriname. Often treated as conspecific also with Variable Oriole (Icterus pyrrhopterus), but differs in larger size, more curved bill shape, habitat selection and behaviour. The two apparently occur sympatrically in a small area in Beni (Bolivia) without interbreeding.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
cayanensis (Linnaeus, 1766) - Northern, central.
chrysocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) - Eastern Colombia to Venezuela, Guianas, northern Brazil and north-eastern Peru; Trinidad. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Moriche Oriole (Icterus chrysocephalus).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet